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Bariatric surgery is a gastrointestinal surgery to treat obesity. It is not a cosmetic procedure. Bariatric surgery helps very obese people to lose a lot of weight and improve their health. Most weight-loss operations limit the amount of food that fits in the stomach, which makes the person feel full after eating very little. People undergo this type of surgery if other weight loss methods fail or if they have serious health problems caused by obesity or both.
Bariatric surgery continues to benefit people worldwide who fight against morbid obesity. It is a preventive intervention that disrupts co-morbid disease processes before suffering the fatal effects of its final stage. Thus, bariatric surgery saves lives.
If traditional methods of weight loss have not worked, bariatric surgery for weight loss may be the right answer for you.
BMI
Body mass index or BMI is a calculation of body fat based on height and weight. It is used to determine if you are underweight or overweight or maintain a healthy weight. A high BMI can jeopardize your health with diseases such as type-2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), sleep apnea, and cardiovascular diseases.
BMI calculations do not consider factors such as muscle mass and pregnancy. The waist circumference indicates the amount of abdominal fat you have and can help your doctor determine more accurately how much of your weight is fat. Men with a measured waist greater than 40 inches are considered low risk. Women with a waist measurement of 35 inches or greater are considered high risk.
Bariatric surgery can improve and effectively solve many health conditions related to being overweight, for example:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol)
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Depression
- Osteoarthritis of joints
- Joint pain
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
- Urinary stress incontinence
- Asthma and lung conditions
- Reproductive health
The co-morbidities can be expensive to treat and can also significantly harm the physical and mental health of the individual. Weight loss has been shown to provide socio-economic and psychological benefits.
Bariatric surgery and the resulting weight loss also can:
- Improve or eliminate diabetes of type 2 within days, even without weight loss.
- Helps the level of fat in the blood return to normal, which reduces low-density cholesterol or LDL (harmful) cholesterol and triglycerides, and increases high-density cholesterol or HDL (beneficial).
- Increases fertility in women, particularly polycystic ovaries syndrome. This common condition can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and an unhealthy level of fat in the blood.
- Increases testosterone levels in a man.
- Improves or eliminates high blood pressure.
If you have any doubts relating to bariatric surgery, feel free to consult our expert bariatric surgeon. Click here to book an appointment now:
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